James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier


The Lord Gambier
Nickname(s)Dismal Jimmy
Born(1756-10-13)13 October 1756
New Providence, The Bahamas
Died19 April 1833(1833-04-19) (aged 76)
Iver, Buckinghamshire, England
Buried
St. Peter's churchyard in Iver
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch Royal Navy
Years of service1767–1833
RankAdmiral of the Fleet
CommandsHMS Thunder
HMS Raleigh
HMS Endymion
HMS Defence
Battles / warsAmerican Revolutionary War
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, GCB (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, he saw action again, as captain of the third-rate HMS Defence, at the battle of the Glorious First of June in 1794, during the French Revolutionary Wars, gaining the distinction of commanding the first ship to break through the enemy line.

Gambier went on to be a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and First Naval Lord and then served as Governor of Newfoundland. Together with General Lord Cathcart, he oversaw the bombardment of Copenhagen during the Napoleonic Wars. He later survived an accusation of cowardice for his inaction at the Battle of the Basque Roads.